NEWS.md

In glasstabs: Animated Glass-Style Tabs and Select Inputs for 'Shiny'

glasstabs 0.4.0

Responsive and accessible navigation

• This release makes tabs more dependable on small screens and for people who use a keyboard, screen reader, reduced-motion setting, or high-contrast mode.
• glassTabsUI() gains overflow and opt-in swipe controls. The selected tab stays visible in a scrolling strip, multiline tabs remain available, and menu mode provides a compact native chooser.
• Tabs now use roving keyboard focus, Home/End navigation, and explicit ARIA relationships between each tab and its panel.
• Rapid tab changes now settle as one consistent state across the active link, content pane, halo, compact menu, and Shiny input. Interrupted destinations do not trigger transient server work.
• glass_tab_theme() and glass_select_theme() gain a focus_ring color. Tabs, select triggers, and search fields share a deliberate focus treatment, including search fields inside teleported dropdowns.
• glassPage() is an experimental, lightweight wrapper around bslib::page_fillable() that loads the glasstabs dependency automatically.
• Missing optional packages now report the documented glasstabs_error_missing_package condition class.
• Tab clicks and keyboard activation no longer pass through a second fallback initialization, so the glass halo keeps its full movement in vertical and horizontal layouts. The arrival pulse also preserves the halo's settled alignment with the active tab in both orientations.
• Compact-menu options now use an explicit native dark or light colour scheme, keeping option text readable when the operating system opens the select menu.
• tab_align now places the tab group in both orientations. The new text_align argument independently aligns labels and icons inside tab buttons, keeping layout and text choices separate. Non-centered horizontal labels use equal button widths so their alignment remains visible.
• Compact menu overflow is now documented and validated as a horizontal-only layout. A vertical tab rail paired with overflow = "menu" gets a clear error instead of silently ignoring the setting.
• glassSelect() and glassMultiSelect() dropdowns now close reliably on an immediate outside press, including when a loading veil or overlay stops bubbling events. Closing during the opening frame also cancels pending positioning and focus work, preventing a dropdown from reappearing after it has closed. Programmatically opened Bootstrap modals and offcanvas panels also close any open dropdown before the new layer appears.
• Dynamically rendered tab widgets now release their timers, browser listeners, observers, and animations when Shiny removes them from the page.
• glassPage() now declares and checks its minimum supported bslib version, so an older optional dependency produces a useful update message.

glasstabs 0.3.4

Internal consistency and diagnostics

• Refactored internal rendering, theme CSS, hue generation, serialization, and validation without changing exported signatures, rendered HTML contracts, or Shiny message formats.
• Package-generated errors now inherit from glasstabs_error, with the leaf classes glasstabs_error_bad_argument, glasstabs_error_bad_choice, glasstabs_error_bad_theme, and glasstabs_error_no_session. This makes errors easier to catch programmatically while retaining instructive messages.
• Side-effect update helpers now consistently return NULL invisibly, as documented.
• glassTabCondition() now emits valid single-backslash JavaScript escapes for carriage returns, newlines, tabs, and Unicode line separators in tab values.
• Added golden HTML and message-payload regression tests, lint configuration, and a coverage workflow.

Vertical orientation

• New orientation argument for glassTabsUI(): "vertical" stacks the tab buttons in a left-hand rail beside the content pane. ArrowUp/ArrowDown navigate in vertical mode, aria-orientation is set on the tablist, and indicator = "underline" renders as a slim side bar adjacent to the content. Falls back to stacked layout under 760px.
• New tab_align argument for glassTabsUI(): "center" (default), "left", or "right" aligns tab button text and icons.

bslib / Bootstrap 5 auto theming

• New theme = "auto" preset bridges to Bootstrap 5 color modes: light variables apply by default and dark variables apply under data-bs-theme="dark", toggled live in the browser (works with bslib::input_dark_mode() / toggle_dark_mode() with no server code).
• glassSelect() and glassMultiSelect() also support theme = "auto" so their triggers and dropdown panels keep the glass look in both light and dark Bootstrap 5 color modes.

New example and article

• runGlassExample("indicators") demos the three indicator styles, vertical orientation, and auto theming side by side.
• New "Indicator Styles, Vertical Tabs, and Auto Theming" article.
• runGlassExample("connect-workflow") provides a Posit Connect-ready workflow review page showing filters, badges, server-driven tab changes, horizontal/vertical tabs, tab text alignment, and auto theming in one deployable Shiny app.
• The Connect workflow example now has stronger dark-mode contrast, auto-themed glass select dropdowns, neutral quick-action buttons with selected state, indicator and tab shape controls, and a responsive controls grid for narrower browsers. Closed glassSelect() and glassMultiSelect() fields remain readable when the page is in dark mode.
• New "Publishing a glasstabs Workflow to Posit Connect" article.

Select dropdown positioning

• Teleported glassSelect() and glassMultiSelect() dropdowns now clamp to the viewport, so narrow browser widths no longer cut off the left or right edge of the dropdown panel.

Tab indicator

• New indicator argument for glassTabsUI(): "glass" (default), "solid" (flat opaque sliding pill, no backdrop-filter or shimmer - lighter on the GPU and better suited to plain dashboards), and "underline" (slim sliding bar under the active tab).

Halo alignment fixes

• The halo now fits the active tab exactly from its rendered edges, avoiding the right-side spill that could appear after initial load or tab changes.
• Initial halo placement now starts at the full tab size instead of briefly rendering a smaller centered outline before the first tab change.
• Default and compact tab buttons are larger and easier to hit.
• Halo position now accounts for container borders (clientLeft/clientTop), fixing a horizontal shift inside bordered fallback containers such as bs4Dash .card-body.
• A ResizeObserver re-aligns the halo whenever tab geometry changes without a window resize: badge count updates, label changes via renderUI, font swaps, or sidebar collapse.

Dropdown lifecycle

• Added closeGlassSelect(), closeGlassMultiSelect(), and closeAllGlassSelects() so apps can explicitly close dropdowns before tab switches, modal changes, or dynamic UI replacement.
• glassSelect() and glassMultiSelect() now expose open state as input$<inputId>_open.
• Open dropdowns now close on additional lifecycle events, including outside pointer-down, window resize, Bootstrap tab/modal/collapse hiding, sidebar/offcanvas transitions, Shiny value replacement, and Shiny disconnect.

glasstabs 0.3.3

Released to CRAN.

Native-layout parity

• glassSelect() and glassMultiSelect() gained a width argument (passed to shiny::validateCssUnit()) so the widgets can fill a column or match a fixed layout, like native selectizeInput().
• Both selects now accept grouped choices as a named list, selectInput()-style (e.g. list(Fruit = c(Apple = "apple"), Veg = c(...))), rendering non-interactive group headers. Search hides headers whose options are all filtered out.
• Added disabled support: disabled = TRUE greys out and blocks the whole widget, and disabled_choices renders individual options as non-selectable. Both are also reachable at runtime via updateGlassSelect() / updateGlassMultiSelect() (disabled, disabled_choices). Disabled options are skipped by "Select all".
• glassTabsUI() gained a shape argument ("rounded" default or "square") so the tab bar and content corners can match shape = "square" selects for a cohesive, selectize-style layout.

Square corners

• Added a shape argument to glassSelect() and glassMultiSelect(). The default shape = "rounded" keeps the signature glass look, while shape = "square" applies crisp, selectize-style corners so the widgets sit flush next to native selectizeInput() controls without looking out of place.
• updateGlassSelect() and updateGlassMultiSelect() gained a shape argument so the corner style can be switched at runtime from the server without re-rendering the widget (open dropdowns and selection state are preserved).
• Added a runGlassExample("square-corners") example app that demonstrates the square shape live alongside native selectizeInput(), including a runtime rounded-vs-square toggle via update*() and a light-theme variant.
• Added a runGlassExample("bslib") example app that shows square glassSelect() and glassMultiSelect() controls inside a Bootstrap 5 bslib layout.

Large choice sets

• Added opt-in server-side search support for large glassSelect() and glassMultiSelect() choice sets via server = TRUE, glassSelectServer(), and glassMultiSelectServer().
• Added loading and no-results states for select search results, including server-backed search responses.
• Added a runnable runGlassExample("server-select") example and vignette sections for server-backed single- and multi-select controls.

Bug fixes

• Fixed updateGlassMultiSelect() updates being lost when a multi-select is created or replaced by renderUI() in the same reactive flush. Dynamic updates now target the replacement widget and retry briefly while it binds.
• Fixed scalar selected values being interpreted as an empty selection by the multi-select JavaScript binding.

glasstabs 0.3.2

Public dashboard readiness

• Removed all color-mix() usage from the shipped stylesheet. Select widget alpha colors are now precomputed as CSS custom properties at render time for better compatibility with older embedded browsers.
• Added ARIA combobox/listbox/option semantics to glassSelect() and glassMultiSelect(), with JavaScript keeping aria-expanded and aria-selected in sync during interaction.
• Improved keyboard behavior for select widgets: Escape and Tab close open dropdowns and return focus to the trigger; single-select option clicks also return focus.
• Added CSP nonce support for inline style tags via the glasstabs.csp_nonce option.
• Added Windows High Contrast (forced-colors) CSS support and RTL layout support for tabs and select widgets.
• Improved narrow-screen select trigger behavior so labels truncate cleanly inside dashboard cards instead of overflowing.

Bug fixes

• Fixed tab initialization for glassTabsUI() inserted by renderUI() or dashboard layouts after the initial page boot.
• Added a Shiny input binding and delegated activation fallback for tabs so click and keyboard activation remain reliable in public dashboards.
• Bumped the html dependency version so browsers request fresh CSS/JS assets.

glasstabs 0.3.1

New features

• Added glassTabCondition(id, value) — generates the correct JavaScript condition string for [shiny::conditionalPanel()] without needing to remember the input[["id-active_tab"]] key pattern.
• Added glasstabs_news() — prints the package changelog to the R console.
• Added ROADMAP.md tracking planned features and known limitations (not shipped in the package).

Improvements

• Error messages across all functions are now actionable: they name the bad argument class, show what was received, and suggest the correct fix.
• glass_tab_theme() and glass_select_theme() now have full @examples with interactive app snippets.
• .gt-container no longer forces max-width:960px or margin:48px auto — the widget now behaves like a normal block element inside Shiny layouts.
• Light-mode halo box-shadow replaced with a soft blue-tinted shadow via the --gt-halo-shadow CSS variable, replacing the harsh dark drop shadow.

glasstabs 0.3.0

New features

Tab widget

• Added runGlassExample() to launch any of the built-in example apps directly from the R console (runGlassExample("smoke-test"), etc.).
• Added icon argument to glassTabPanel() — accepts any htmltools-compatible tag (e.g. shiny::icon("table")). Renders with gt-tab-icon / gt-tab-label spans so icon and text can be styled independently.
• Added disableGlassTab() and enableGlassTab() — gray out a tab without hiding it. Completes the visibility/disabled/removal trio alongside showGlassTab() / hideGlassTab().
• Added updateGlassTabBadge() — set a numeric count badge on any tab button. Pass count = 0 or count = NA to hide the badge. Values above 99 display as "99+".
• glassTabsServer() now integrates with Shiny's URL bookmarking: the active tab is automatically saved and restored when enableBookmarking = "url" is set on the app. Opt out per widget with bookmark = FALSE.
• Added glassTabsOutput() / renderGlassTabs() for server-driven tab rendering. The JavaScript engine re-initialises automatically after each render via a scoped shiny:value listener, so no manual glasstabs_reinit calls are needed.

Improvements

• glassTabsUI() now errors early on duplicate glassTabPanel() values, reporting the offending value(s) by name.
• glassTabsUI() gains a compact = FALSE argument. Setting compact = TRUE applies the .gt-compact CSS modifier which reduces margins, tab-link padding, font size, and content area padding — ideal for embedding inside bs4Dash cards or any tight dashboard layout.
• glassTabsServer() emits a warning() when the id argument contains "-", which is the most common sign that ns("tabs") was passed instead of the bare "tabs" id. The warning includes corrective guidance.
• CSS: added .gt-tab-disabled, .gt-tab-icon, .gt-tab-label, and .gt-tab-badge rules. Badges adapt their background to the active halo colour via the existing CSS custom property.
• CSS: all color values are now consumed via var(--gt-xxx, fallback) instead of being hardcoded — this was the root cause of light theme appearing invisible. Light theme defaults were also strengthened for better contrast.
• CSS: dropdown active-state z-index raised to 9000/9001 so glasstabs dropdowns render above bs4Dash card stacking contexts.
• shiny:value listener limits bootAll re-initialisation to outputs that actually contain glasstabs elements, so ordinary Shiny outputs are unaffected.
• Added inst/cheatsheet/glasstabs-cheatsheet.tex — a printable four-column LaTeX reference card covering the full API, module pattern, bs4Dash integration, theming, and common gotchas.

Documentation

• Cheatsheet vignette (vignettes/cheatsheet.Rmd) extended with new sections: "Tabs inside a Shiny module", "Dynamic tab values and selected", "Tabs inside bs4Dash", and updated common gotchas.
• All new functions have full roxygen docs, @examples, and cross-links.

glasstabs 0.2.1

New features

Tab widget

• Added updateGlassTabsUI() for programmatic tab switching from the server.
• Added showGlassTab() and hideGlassTab() for dynamically showing and hiding tabs at runtime.
• Added appendGlassTab() and removeGlassTab() for adding and removing tabs at runtime.

Improvements

• glassTabsUI() now validates selected against the available glassTabPanel() values and errors early on invalid tab ids.
• The tab widget now reports its initial active tab to Shiny immediately after session startup, so glassTabsServer() is populated on first render.
• Added ARIA roles and selected-state attributes to tab navigation markup.
• Improved tab re-initialization and transition handling for dynamic tab changes, including show/hide, append/remove, and rapid successive updates.
• Improved halo and transfer-trace positioning after runtime tab layout changes.

Bug fixes

• Opening a dropdown now closes any other open glasstabs dropdown, fixing a visual stacking issue where multiple dropdowns appeared simultaneously.

• Improved widget lifecycle in dynamic UI (renderUI(), conditionalPanel()). Widgets initialize more reliably and clean up properly when removed.

• Widgets now emit their initial value to Shiny immediately after rendering, fixing timing issues with conditionalPanel() and dynamic UI.

Internal improvements

• JavaScript engine refactored to use internal state instead of DOM scanning. No changes to the R API — all existing code works without modification.

• Added scroll containers for long option lists, debounced search, and .gt-loading / .gt-disabled CSS utility classes.

Documentation

• Added a dedicated cheatsheet vignette for common widget patterns and server-side helpers.
• Added a smoke-test example app covering programmatic tab switching, dynamic tab visibility, runtime tab insertion/removal, and rapid interaction paths.
• Expanded README and pkgdown navigation to surface the new server-side tab controls and cheatsheet more clearly.

glasstabs 0.1.1

New features

Single-select widget

• Added glassSelect(), an animated single-select dropdown for Shiny.
• Added updateGlassSelect() for server-side updates to choices and selection.
• Added glassSelectValue() as a convenience reactive helper for reading the selected value.

Multi-select widget

• Added updateGlassMultiSelect() for server-side updates to choices, selection, and checkbox style.
• Added glassMultiSelectValue() as a convenience reactive helper for reading selected values and active style.
• Added optional label support to glassMultiSelect().
• Added configurable all_label support to control the trigger text shown when all choices are selected.

Improvements

• Aligned glassSelect() and glassMultiSelect() more closely with standard Shiny input behavior.
• Added client-side input bindings so select widgets now support session$sendInputMessage() update patterns.
• Preserved current glassMultiSelect() default behavior where selected = NULL initializes all choices as selected.
• Improved choice normalization so named choices retain display labels correctly.
• Improved hue normalization for the "filled" multi-select style.
• Updated vignettes and examples to show direct Shiny input usage and server-side update patterns.

Documentation

• Added a new vignette for glassSelect().
• Updated the getting started vignette to include glassSelect().
• Updated the multi-select vignette to document updateGlassMultiSelect() and glassMultiSelectValue().

Internal changes

• Added tests for glassSelect(), updateGlassSelect(), and glassSelectValue().
• Expanded tests for glassMultiSelect() server-side updates and helper utilities.

glasstabs 0.1.0

Initial release.

New features

Tab widget

• glassTabsUI() — animated glassmorphism-style tab navigation with a sliding glass halo and transfer trace between tabs.
• glassTabPanel() — defines a single tab button and its content pane.
• glassTabsServer() — reactive helper that tracks the active tab value.
• glass_tab_theme() — custom color theme for glassTabsUI() with eight independent handles: tab_text, tab_active_text, halo_bg, halo_border, content_bg, content_border, card_bg, card_text.
• Built-in "dark" (default) and "light" presets for glassTabsUI().
• Keyboard navigation using the Left and Right arrow keys.
• Full bs4Dash compatibility via wrap = FALSE.

Multi-select filter widget

• glassMultiSelect() — dropdown filter with live search, select-all with indeterminate state, and three checkbox indicator styles: "checkbox", "check-only", and "filled".
• glassFilterTags() — tag-pill display area that stays in sync with a glassMultiSelect() automatically via JavaScript; clicking × on a pill deselects that option.
• glass_select_theme() — custom color theme with four handles: bg_color, border_color, text_color, accent_color.
• Built-in "dark" and "light" presets for glassMultiSelect().
• show_style_switcher, show_select_all, show_clear_all flags to hide UI chrome (all default TRUE).
• Per-option HSL hue angles for the "filled" style via the hues argument (auto-assigned if omitted).

General

• useGlassTabs() — injects CSS and JavaScript via htmltools::htmlDependency, which is deduplicated automatically by Shiny.
• All theming uses pre-computed CSS variables (no color-mix()), ensuring compatibility with Shiny's embedded browser.
• Multiple instances of either widget on the same page work independently; each instance is scoped to its own id.

glasstabs documentation built on Sept. 11, 2026, 5:08 p.m.